Yun Young-ho, former head of the Unification Church’s world headquarters, stated in a testimony to Min Joong-ki’s special counsel team that the Unification Church intensively approached key government officials and politicians based in Busan during the Moon Jae-in administration (2017–2022). This movement gained momentum after Han Hak-ja, a Unification Church leader, announced the “Divinely Unified Korea” strategy, emphasizing the unification of religion and politics, in 2017. Religious circles have raised suspicions that the Unification Church sought to lobby political figures to advance long-standing projects, including the Korea-Japan undersea tunnel and inter-Korean initiatives.
◇The Late Reverend Moon Sun-myung’s Long-cherished ‘Korea-Japan Undersea Tunnel Project’
The Korea-Japan undersea tunnel project envisions constructing a 230-kilometer tunnel connecting the Korean Peninsula and Japan. This initiative became a long-cherished goal of the Unification Church after the late Reverend Moon Sun-myung, the church’s first leader, proposed building a “Great Asian Peace Highway stretching from China through Korea to Japan.” The Unification Church has since established organizations such as the Korea-Japan Undersea Tunnel Research Association and the World Peace Road Foundation to promote the project.
Why the Korea-Japan undersea tunnel? Religious experts note the Unification Church’s unique view of Japan as a “mother nation” and Korea as a “father nation” in its doctrine. Even today, Japanese followers visit the church’s holy site, Cheon Jeong Gung, in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, or come to Korea for international marriages. The church likely anticipated that a tunnel connecting the two nations would naturally expand its influence.
Analysts suggest the Unification Church’s outreach to politicians in the Yeongnam region is tied to the tunnel project, as Busan has been a prime candidate for the tunnel’s Korean starting point. In this context, Yun Young-ho testified to the special counsel in August that in 2018, the Unification Church provided money and gifts to Chun Jae-soo, a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker, to lobby for the project. The former lawmaker, a three-term incumbent from Busan and a key figure in the pro-Moon faction, later served as Minister of Oceans and Fisheries under President Lee Jae-myung before resigning amid bribery allegations.
Oh Keo-don, a former Busan mayor from the Democratic Party, also signed a document pledging to advance the Korea-Japan undersea tunnel at a 2019 forum hosted by a Unification Church-affiliated group. In his congratulatory speech, he stated, “I understand that efforts have been made for over 10 years to study the Korea-Japan undersea tunnel and the Eurasian railway community. When the South-North railway is connected, Busan has infinite potential as a logistics city.”
Additionally, the Unification Church reportedly proposed policies related to the tunnel project to lawmakers from the People Power Party in the Yeongnam region, including former Saenuri Party lawmaker Ahn Hong-joon.
◇Contacting Ministry of Unification Officials for Inter-Korean Projects
Unification Church also prioritizes inter-Korean unification, advancing multiple initiatives such as establishing a World Peace Park and a fifth United Nations office in the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). A church official remarked, “Installing a UN office in the DMZ would prevent North Korea from acting recklessly.”
To this end, the Unification Church reportedly sought connections with Ministry of Unification officials. According to a January–February 2022 conversation between Yun Young-ho and a high-ranking Unification Church official, Mr. Lee, Yun stated, “There are two lines: Lee Jong-seok (current NIS director) and Noh Young-min and Yoo Young-min (former presidential secretaries). We’ve cultivated relationships with them over two to three years.” Noh and Yoo served as chiefs of the Moon Jae-in administration’s presidential office, while Lee was a former unification minister under the Roh Moo-hyun administration. Yun also mentioned former unification ministers Kim Yeon-chul and Chung Dong-young in his testimony and recordings.
Furthermore, the World Peace Parliamentarians Union, a Unification Church-affiliated group, appointed former United Future Party lawmaker Kim Kyu-hwan as an advisor in 2020 and paid him 10 million Korean won over seven months. The group reportedly includes 44 current and former lawmakers as members. In April 2021, the church’s Heavenly Parent’s Peace Association held a meeting proposing that affiliated organizations in politics, economy, media, and other fields contact politicians.
The Unification Church attempted political participation in 2003 by founding the Peace and Unification Homeland Party but failed to secure any elected officials. Since then, it appears to have shifted strategy, focusing on lobbying key political figures from both ruling and opposition parties. In the recorded conversation, Mr. Lee noted, “During the Homeland Party era, we took a direct approach, but this time, Director Yun (Young-ho) dreamed of establishing connections up to Cheong Wa Dae and the transition committee. That’s why I (Mr. Lee) chased after political figures.”
